In less than a decade, director Neill Blomkamp has become one of the most prominent names in sci-fi cinema. This Friday his latest film Chappie hopes to usher in the start of spring for moviegoers with a formula seen many times in the past but not with the same kind of style. Best described as Short Circuit meets Robocop, Chappie attempts to win big with a loaded roster consisting of Hugh Jackman, Sigourney Weaver and Dev Patel. Considering the loss of momentum for films like Kingsman: The Secret Service and Fifty Shades of Grey, Blomkamp’s latest effort could make quite an impact before the blockbuster season begins. Continue reading →

Richard Linklater’s 1995 indie classic Before Sunrise epitomized the forward thinking of the cinema in the 90′s and launched the career of many artists who are still prominent to this day. On the surface it breaks almost all of Hollywood’s cinematic rules with scenes consisting entirely of one shot and elongated dialogue that seems do little service to the plot. Still, Before Sunrise is intensely romantic and accomplished what few films can within the rigid construct of mainstream cinema. Continue reading →

Every filmmaker has a given focus within their genre. What I mean by that is, either consciously or subconsciously, every filmmaker circles around the same theme for a majority of their career. In the case of Richard Linklater, his obsession with living in the moment has permeated every one of his films and helped him leave a mark on the art form that few have been able to achieve. His latest film Boyhood received some of the highest honors and was in the running for Best Picture at this year’s Academy Awards. However, there is quite a bit about Linklater that remains a mystery. Perhaps after reading this blog, some of that will become a bit clearer and you can look at his films from a different perspective. Continue reading →

Infamous horror movie production studio Blumhouse Productions has been responsible for the resurgence of the genre without the need of a found-footage gimmick. They may have started with the Blair Witch Project model with The Paranormal Activity series but since the release of films like Insidious and The Purge, Blumhouse Productions has seen that narrative horror is far from dead. Their latest effort The Lazarus Effect opens this Friday and continues the journey into the world of supernatural horror. Continue reading →

Before Lloyd Kaufman, Sam Raimi and even George Romero there was Roger Corman. The independent producer broke ground on what would eventually lead to the exploitation genre and the birth of the post-modern horror film. In 1960, nearly eight years before Night of the Living Dead, Corman spent two days filming a quick script that would forever be linked to his legacy. That movie is The Little Shop of Horrors. Continue reading →

Roger Corman is a name that will produce a different response depending on who you speak to. To some he was a mentor. To others a rebellious force that changed Hollywood before anyone knew it happened. The famed director and producer helped launch the careers of some of Hollywood’s biggest names in the 70′s and 80′s, all while breaking the usual business conventions of the era. He was a true entrepreneur at a time when people didn’t think it was possible to make a small fortune from independent cinema. Corman’s career would show that the key to success isn’t necessarily originality but instead a willingness to make something work with the little you have in front of you. Continue reading →

To make a sports reference, February is like the off-season for Hollywood. The releases are smaller and tend to not be the kind of films that make waves. The impending Academy Awards also affects releases as studios don’t want their potential 2016 contenders to be overshadowed by the current campaigns. For that reason we have a week with only three major releases, two of which would fall under the category of silly comedy. Continue reading →

In 1982, John Carpenter had a vision of modernizing a forgettable 1950′s horror film. That movie was called The Thing From Another World. The plot focused on a group of scientists who find an alien stuck in the ice during an Antarctic expedition. As you could expect, the ice thaws and the alien wreaks havoc around the scientist’s base camp. Flash forward nearly thirty years and Carpenter’s re-imagining stands as one of the most nauseating and horrific films of the post-modern era. Continue reading →

John Carpenter may be the most underrated filmmaker of his era. That’s a big statement given his recognition within the film community but, outside of hardcore fans, his name is only loosely connected with the Halloween franchise despite him being the creator. That’s harsh and if you don’t agree, you more than likely fall into the serious film-fan category. Carpenter’s work has been revolutionary and caused the biggest move forward in the genre of horror since George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. Aside from directing Halloween and Escape from New York, there is little the outside world knows about Carpenter and his work. This week’s DYK hopes to shed some light on Carpenter’s fantastic talent. Continue reading →

Matthew Vaughn has had quite the resume over the past ten years. He has worked with a laundry list of current and classic action stars while carving out a niche for himself along the way. Kingsmen: The Secret Service is just the latest in the director’s fresh take on the genre. Bringing in fresh blood like Taron Egerton mixed with experienced stars like Colin Firth and Samuel L. Jackson may be the ticket to 2015′s first major hit before the mad rush of comic book films in the Spring. Continue reading →